om his fingers
and he dropped to the turf. There he rested in a dazed sort of way and
reviewed the tragedy. Suppose he had not been awake? Suppose the bear
had come into the tent while he lay there asleep and unarmed? In his
heart he felt very grateful for his escape.

Then there followed a disquieting thought--suppose there were other
bears! He had often read of their coming in groups of fives and sixes.
It was no time for him to sit limply on the ground. He caught up his
rifle and recharged its empty chambers. Then before the tent door he sat
until sunrise, anxiously scanning the dim pasture-land and the distant
rocky fastnesses. It seemed as if the day would never come.

Presently across the intervale he caught the faint tinkle of herd-bells.
Over the brim of rolling green just ahead of him came the flock, Sandy
leading them, and the collies nipping at their heels. The herder strode
rapidly forward, waving his sombrero as he came. Donald ran to meet
him.

"Are you safe and sound, laddie?" called Sandy when he got within
shouting distance. "I have had a thousand minds about you--whether I
ought not to have waked you, tired as you were, and taken you with me;
or whether it was better to let you sleep. You see when the full moon
rose the sheep set out grazing. It's a trick they have. Many a time they
have done it; when they once set out no power on earth will stop them.
So the dogs and I had to go along too. I reckoned you would sleep until
we got back. The herd went farther, though, than I thought they would. I
had great trouble rounding them up."

As he talked they neared the camp where Sandy's keen eye took in at a
glance every detail of the scene before him. Then he looked sharply at
Donald. Under the thick tan the boy could see him pale. His lips became
livid.

"Donald, lad, you are not hurt?" he cried, motioning to the bear that
lay stretched on the grass.

"No, Sandy, not a bit. Truly I'm not. See! Isn't he a big one?"

"He is many a size too big for a boy like you to be fighting alone. I
was a blind idiot to leave you behind me. Thank the good Lord you got
off without a scratch. When I think of what might have come to you----!
The next time I'll no go grazing without you, Don. But who would have
thought of a bear venturing into these lowlands! He must have been very
hungry."

Later Donald had to relate every part of his adventure, and they skinned
the black bear and spread his hide out in the sun.

"